Seen At 11: Could Probiotics Be The Key To Healthy, Clear Skin?

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)– Eczema, rosacea, acne, even wrinkles… could the key to getting rid of these unsightly skin conditions be a remedy for indigestion?

“I’ve tried just about everything on the market,” said John James Muller.

By his mid 20s, Muller said his acne was worse than ever. As CBS2’s Kristine Johnson reported, Muller said nothing worked until he started taking probiotics.

“It changed drastically,” Muller said.

Probiotics are live bacteria that are found naturally in some foods like yogurt and are often recommended to aid the digestive system.

“What probiotics do is they help to regulate the balance in the micro-environment our intestines,” Dr. Shirley Madhère said.

When our guts are overrun by too many bad bacteria, studies show it can lead to a vicious cycle of weight gain and fatigue, priobiotic specialist Dr. Raphael Kellman explained.

“It’s our diet that’s perpetuating the overgrowth of those bacteria, causing us to be addicted; to crave all these foods,” he said.

Doctors say this bacterial imbalance can also lead to inflammation that can contribute to a number of adverse health problems, including those with your complexion.

“The skin is one of the largest organs of detoxification, so when our bodies are overwhelmed with inflammation, sometimes, that inflammation is manifested in the skin,” Madhère said.

This can lead to difficult conditions like adult acne, eczema, rosacea, and even premature aging, doctors say.

“Reducing that inflammation will help to reduce those inflammatory manifestations in the skin,” Madhère said.

Experts say the best source of probiotics are from whole leafy greens, yogurt and fermented foods like sauerkraut, but there are other options.

Now beauty companies, like ZSS Skincare, are incorporating a probiotic supplement that you can take orally into their skincare lines. The company says in as quickly as two weeks, clinical results have shown to improve skin with several benefits.

Since starting to take a probiotic supplement daily, Muller says his skin is finally free and clear of acne.